A London Interior Designer Reflects on Magical Garden Designs - Steps and Stones

When interior designers say the words "garden design", they are crossing an invisible boundary - from interior to exterior. Historically, interior designers have focused exclusively on what lies within the home. But today some of London's most prestigious interior design teams are starting to apply their wealth of knowledge and experience to garden schemes. The resulting whole-estate approach means that top interior designers can now offer homeowners full-service comprehensive expertise that covers every possible need. London is a splendid city in which to work as an interior designer who also focuses on gardens because it is so easy to find fabulous garden furniture, plantings and exterior illuminators from the many outstanding garden centres and wholesalers across the home counties.


If there are walls on either side of a set of steps, you may hear your interior designer start to talk of a "brick-light". The name comes from the fact that its size and shape are precisely the same as a brick! This clever little illuminator can be set back into the wall to provide a general wash of light across the steps. Some prestigious London hotels will use this approach, but it can also be effective for private homes, provided your interior designer specifies a special louvre cover that focuses the light downwards. Some clients crave extra drama - in such circumstances, your interior designer may choose to incorporate directional spotlights, set into the wall to chase the light down. For even more atmosphere, especially in Central London where street lights may be bright, directional spotlights can be set into the wall to light each step individually. Your interior designer may turn to fibre optics - their tiny pretty fixtures are ideal for this type of application. If you have only a few stone steps, it may be best to conceal a lengthy low-voltage strip under the front trim of the steps to provide a continuous downward wash of light. This works well only if the light source is well-hidden; otherwise the effect will be too glittery and glamourous and your interior designer might as well be designing a London hotel!


Well that brings to an end my series titled "Welcome to my Designer Garden! A London Interior Designer Reflects on Magical Garden Designs". Thank you so much for reading.



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A London Interior Designer Reflects on Magical Garden Designs - Pathways

When interior designers say the words "garden design", they are crossing an invisible boundary - from interior to exterior. Historically, interior designers have focused exclusively on what lies within the home. But today some of London's most prestigious interior design teams are starting to apply their wealth of knowledge and experience to garden schemes. The resulting whole-estate approach means that top interior designers can now offer homeowners full-service comprehensive expertise that covers every possible need. London is a splendid city in which to work as an interior designer who also focuses on gardens because it is so easy to find fabulous garden furniture, plantings and exterior illuminators from the many outstanding garden centres and wholesalers across the home counties.


London's top interior designers know that garden paths should always be a key part of an overall garden scheme - and this requires cleverly thought-out lighting design! Paths must always be lit for practical reasons - safety and easy access are critical, whether from house to garden or from one part of the garden to another. But interior designers love to use their designer flair, and fortunately for our clients we can make even this type of lighting just as pretty as in other zones of the garden. Sometimes reflected light from illuminated features, such as outdoor urns or statues, may be sufficient to brighten up a pathway at nighttime, but more normally your interior designer will draw out a map of where the ground changes levels (safety first!). Extra illumination may be necessary here, particularly for when elderly relatives come to visit. Some London Interior Designers love to recommend pretty little indicator lights that incorporate LEDs (light-emitting diodes), which are perfect when used to show the route of a path on a dark night or when installed underneath a balustrade.


Let me explain just a little more about LEDs. These clever little lights are often used in digital watches and pocket calculators, where they offer the ultimate in low-heat illumination. Some interior designers love to create patterns within paving stones by replacing a tile detail with an LED! Thanks to their long-life bulbs, LEDs can also be an attractive alternative to fibre optics. Interior designers love to design with LEDs because there is no remote light box to conceal - only a small transformer. Practical even for the most compact London urban gardens!


With the third and final article in this series titled "Welcome to my Designer Garden! A London Interior Designer Reflects on Magical Garden Designs", I will focus on how to illuminate garden steps and stonework.



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A London Interior Designer Reflects on Magical Garden Designs - Entrances and Exits

When interior designers say the words "garden design", they are crossing an invisible boundary - from interior to exterior. Historically, interior designers have focused exclusively on what lies within the home. But today some of London's most prestigious interior design teams are starting to apply their wealth of knowledge and experience to garden schemes. The resulting whole-estate approach means that top interior designers can now offer homeowners full-service comprehensive expertise that covers every possible need. London is a splendid city in which to work as an interior designer who also focuses on gardens because it is so easy to find fabulous garden furniture, plantings and exterior illuminators from the many outstanding garden centres and wholesalers across the home counties.


If your London home is not far from a well-lit urban street, your interior designer may recommend more intense illuminators to create the designer impact you crave for your garden. By contrast, in the countryside outside London, moonlight may sometimes be sufficient to allow residents and guests to wander safely, but a touch of supplementary light may still be essential to brighten up an entrance or exit. Many interior designers recommend tungsten halogen illuminators, which guarantee the most real-looking colour and are suitable for most buildings. However, I would note that if your home is particularly large, a warmer light source, such as sodium, may be advisable. Metal halide illuminators tend to be very cool and they are therefore best for buildings in London's most urban areas - this type of crisp snow-coloured light can prove highly dramatic in such settings. (If used in the countryside, guests may feel that the effect is slightly too cool and unfriendly.)


Just as entrances prepare us for the interiors to come, so exits should herald a tranquil slide into the garden without. Zones that lie just outside French windows, such as terraces, require first-class mood lighting. Your London Interior Designer will recommend this approach not only for practical reasons but also to guarantee a gentle, atmospheric transformation as your guests move between house and garden. Professional interior designers know that if lights are too bright indoors, reflections on windows will render any garden lighting almost invisible from inside. As a consequence, it is essential to have easy controls to dim down the lights next to an exit or adjacent to your windows that enter onto a terrace. By softening these lights with a dimmer, your interior designer can heighten the intensity of the lighting outside and set the scene for the perfect London garden party.


With the next article in this series on how interior designers create magical garden designs, I will focus on how to illuminate garden pathways.



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How Interior Design Professionals Choose On-Wall Decoration - Illumination and Reflection

When interior design professionals say "on-wall decoration," they normally mean flat objects that may be hung on a wall. This covers photos, graphics, platters, mountings, reliefs and many other categories. London is a splendid locale in which to work as an interior designer because it is so easy to find fabulous on-wall decorative options from the busy artisan set, who frequently exhibit in galleries and warehouses across the capital.


Illumination is an absolutely critical component of interior design in the scope of on-wall decoration. On occasion, it may be breathtaking to feature a spotlight or uplighting that pulls one's gaze into an especially glamourous photograph or artistic feature. Top London interior designers will conventionally incorporate illumination schemes into step one (or even step zero) of their workflow. As is the case across much of the professional interior designer's work, the intent is that nothing will seem accidental or superfluous - we try our best to create a complete and stunning high-impact design profile from the very earliest stages. For instance, interior design professionals will often map out in advance the need for any wall-mounted photo frame illuminators in order to ensure they are included in the power outlet sketches at the earliest preparatory stages of your design effort, so that the contractors will be able to install an outlet that is at the most suitable height. (In many London homes, these types of outlets are custom/bespoke.)


Reflective surfaces (whether silvered objects or framed mirrors) are traditionally a great tool for the interior designer because of how they make a given space seem bigger. They can also allow guests and visitors to better see photos, reliefs and other wall decorations from multiple angles, thereby increasing the visual interest. This can be critical for more cramped London flats with slightly more challenging footprints or unusual corners. Your interior design consultant will definitely make sure to focus on how best to position mirrors, whether to add designer flair or for more mundane purposes. If a mirror has a frame, the interior design team will need to check that the mounting is compatible with other mounting designs or materials in a given design scheme.


If mirrors or other reflective panels are used as design elements, the interior design consultancy should take care to have the mirror reflect an engaging scene. The last thing you want is for your interior design scheme to include a mirror that is situated such that the reflections might be distracting or bothersome to a guest seated on a couch or a resident behind her home office desk. The one good thing is that mirrors can easily be repositioned, but in reality London's Top Interior Design Firms will make sure to achieve perfect positioning from the very beginning.



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How Interior Design Professionals Choose On-Wall Decoration - Hands-On Installation Tips

When interior design professionals say "on-wall decoration," they normally mean flat objects that may be hung on a wall. This covers photos, graphics, platters, mountings, reliefs and many other categories. London is a splendid locale in which to work as an interior designer because it is so easy to find fabulous on-wall decorative options from the busy artisan set, who frequently exhibit in galleries and warehouses across the capital.


Ordinarily, pictures best create a harmonious design feel when positioned in squares or rectangles. London is a global style hub, and hopscotch random shapes can certainly provide visual engagement for high-flair TV-ready interior designs, but in reality it is preferable to focus on standard right angles for most design objectives.


The second point I like to make is that symmetry is key. This is ideal if the interior designer has a single central picture together with a collection of others that constitutes a thematic cluster.


Thirdly, London's interior designers will focus on the idea of 'horizons' to allow for the horizontal alignment of the ceiling-facing edges of many different pictures in a cluster. If you have a variety of rectangle mountings, each of which has different dimensions, it may be preferable to use two horizons - one upper and one lower - to provide a great visual.


Fourthly, top London Interior Design Professionals like to refer to 'anchoring' as another key concept. This involves using the biggest pictures in a cluster to serve as the vertices of an invisible rectangle - smaller pictures are then positioned to develop the remainder of the space.


Fifthly, interior designers sometimes fall back on the cross arrangement when they have a client who craves extra visual flair and the elimination of rectangles altogether. This can be ideal if the pictures are rectangular but of all sorts of different dimensions. The interior designer will position the wall hangings in the shape of a cross, with bigger frames below the "horizon" and more modest mountings above in order to create a feeling of harmony.


Sixthly, a favourite technique among certain London interior designers is to build stability into a design by allowing the biggest wall hangings to migrate down towards the baseline of a cluster, along just one horizontal line. This creates a sense of solidity for the wall decoration scheme. I have collaborated with London's most prestigious interior design boutiques who emphasise placement of the tallest picture at the midline of the horizon in order to pull one's gaze toward the ceiling and create a feeling of exquisite spaciousness.


In the third and final article for this series called "Interpreting Designer Flair - How Interior Design Professionals Choose On-Wall Decoration," I will explore the use of illuminators and reflection to create concepts that delight the observer and guarantee harmony.



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How Interior Design Professionals Choose On-Wall Decoration - Selecting Artwork

When interior design professionals say "on-wall decoration," they normally mean flat objects that may be hung on a wall. This covers photos, graphics, platters, mountings, reliefs and many other categories. London is a splendid locale in which to work as an interior designer because it is so easy to find fabulous on-wall decorative options from the busy artisan set, who frequently exhibit in galleries and warehouses across the capital.


When I think of on-wall decoration, I most frequently think of pictures. I often tell my interior design team that pictures are critical to making a residence feel personal. Having said that, I will caution that suboptimal placement of pictures can all but destroy even a highly effective interior design scheme. I note that this can be particularly problematic in some of the more cramped London flats. I tell my clients that there is a mental checklist that needs to be filled in - equally applicable for digital graphic prints as for historic sepia-tinted photographs. One of the top rules that I have my team keep in mind at our London interior design consultancy is about "relational picture hanging." By this I mean that everything on the wall should echo or reinterpret another feature in the design. Junior interior designers sometimes fail to put enough thought into this, and the result often looks "accidental" - which of course would be highly unsatisfactory! When I put together interior design concepts, I try to use the colour or content of pictures to make a connection to bookcases, panels, couches or curtains... or even to built-in elements of interest, including dado rails, coving or cabinetry - any of which can be highly fascinating in some of London's more historic period buildings.


I try to avoid placing on-wall decoration in a symmetric configuration (for example, centred on a couch or dresser) because this would risk making the interior design concept feel slightly pedestrian and mundane.


In London, we know all too well that drizzle and cooler temperatures are not unusual during much of the year. As a result, interior designers in the capital will regularly select more cheerful pictures when they choose on-wall decoration. I place significant emphasis on clustering images that are somehow connected to each other. For example, my London Interior Design team might position a series of country scenes near to each other on the wall, or they will take the same approach for pictures of historic factories or waterways. Some of the best-known London interior design consultancies will also cluster on-wall decorative elements that share the same colour concepts or mounting styles.


With the next article in this series on how interior design professionals choose on-wall decoration, I will turn to the hands-on details of how to physically secure pictures to a wall.



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Make Your House Your Home - How London Interior Design Companies Work with Lighting Part II: Natural Lighting Effects

Natural light is responsible for everything we see in the world around us. At interior design companies, light informs the designers' perception of colour, it determines how we read, shape and texture, and it animates our surroundings with patterns of light and shadow. Yet despite its importance, light is often taken for granted - even by some of London's better-known interior design companies. An increasingly urban lifestyle does not lend itself to making the most of daylight and often many of our waking hours are spent indoors in semi-darkness. Interior design companies are out to change this, and in this second article of my two-part series on "How Interior Design Companies Work with Lighting" I will reveal the secrets of natural light and its influence on design, drawing from my experience in London working with some of the capital's most prestigious interior design companies.


By observing natural light, we can start to appreciate how light actually works. Interior design companies often talk of principles such as downlighting, where afternoon sunshine grazes a wall of illuminated foliage; backlighting, where a leaf is revealed in silhouette during a fresh London dawn; crosslighting, where the surface texture of brickwork or gnarled wood is emphasised; and spotlighting where a narrow shaft of light catches an object in its path, perhaps as a train turns a corner in a London Underground tunnel. Interior design companies rely on their experience in harnessing the ability of shadows to conceal. Some of the most adventurous clients demand special effects - I have seen interior design companies being asked to recreate the "drama of a rainbow as it paints a coloured arc across the sky." Definitely not a straightforward project! Nonetheless, each light effect has its own character and contributes to a harmonious balance.


I once saw top professionals from a famous London interior design company actually sitting down with graph paper to chart the passage of the sun during a twenty-four hour period for a prestigious residential project. The client was a feng shui practitioner, and he had asked the interior design company to guarantee a positive orientation for his living spaces. After plotting out the sun's pathway, the interior design company used CAD to project how the sun would appear during different seasons - taking into account how little daylight there can be during London winters. The result was breathtaking and a stunning example of how natural lighting can be used to "make a house a home."



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Make Your House Your Home - How London Interior Design Companies Work with Lighting Part I: The Universal Language of Light

The need for light is universal and impacts the entire galaxy. Interior design companies often employ staff who understand this deeply. We are drawn to light like moths to a flame (or to cashmere). In London, we are revitalized by sunny days (too few, too few!) and we feel downcast when we see London's grey skies of autumn (too many!). Interior design companies often employ lighting design specialists. Some of these individuals will have studied the history of light - and they will know that light even connects us to ancient civilizations. From the Aztecs to the pharaohs, the sun ruled supreme as a light- and life-giving force .... and now interior design companies in London are taking this majesty and using it to enhance the homes of both Londoners and property owners across the world. Top interior design companies recognise that artists - from impressionists like Monet to more contemporary painters like Hockney - have been inspired by the quality of natural light and its effect on colour. In this two-part series on "How Interior Design Companies Work with Lighting" I will reflect on my experiences with lighting, working in London alongside the capital's top professionals at some of England's most prestigious interior design companies.


We can learn a great deal by observing light in the natural world and understanding its role in creating pattern, texture, colour and atmosphere. I often remind students who come to intern with me at my interior design company that, during the course of a London day, light will naturally assume myriad different forms. I remind them of the soft light of early morning, the strong contrast of shafts of bright light and sharp shadows at midday. I link this to the work of our interior design company as I speak of the dappled patterns of late afternoon and the rosy glow of a London summer evening. Light is constantly changing, from moment to moment and from latitude to latitude. The very best interior design companies recognise that natural light, in all its forms, can enrich our interior spaces, making them warm and welcoming or cool and contemplative. Indeed, at my interior design company, light serves as our ultimate inspiration when it comes to planning artificial lighting schemes that rely on modern light sources and fittings. Today, interior design companies try to emulate the infinite variety and contrast of natural light in our homes, filtering, directing and modulating lighting effects to create interiors that can be enjoyed by our clients every single day.



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Understanding How Interior Design Companies Work: Lighting for Mood - Daypart Scene Designs

In this series which I call "Lighting for Mood," I draw on my experience working with many interior design companies in London to describe current best practices in this exciting area of design.


In my previous article (Lighting for Mood Part IV), I described the basics of pre-set lighting design. In this article I talk about a new movement, in use today by certain prestigious interior design companies in London: "daypart scene" lighting design.


As mentioned in my previous article, the interior design company will often present the client with a simple switch plate with just four buttons. In daypart scene lighting designs, an interior design company will designate each scene for use during a specific part of the day. Scene one is usually bright, to be used on a dull day to compensate for London's often-overcast skies. The interior design company will have adjusted most of the lights to full brightness and some of the very discreet effects of feature lighting, which only work when light levels are low, may even be programmed to ‘off'. Early evening often starts at 4pm in London during the winter- and this daypart is ideal for scene two, which features a slightly lower level of light. Interior design companies will select low voltage halogen beams for this scene, to give a crisp and fresh look to a room. Scene two's task lighting is left slightly higher, so that cooking can still take place in the kitchen, for example - perfect for London, as homeowners and staff often prepare for soiree guests to arrive at this time.


For entertaining, scene three is suitably atmospheric. The interior design company will have pre-programmed a dimmer general light setting and will have raised the level of feature lighting to increase the contrast. This can also be effective when the client's brief requires the interior design company to create dual-purpose rooms. For example, sometimes the kitchen needs to be transformed into a dining area (often the case in some smaller London flats), and lighting scene three can allow pots and pans to disappear into the background. For special occasions or after dinner, scene four can be more moody still, introducing a sense of cinema. Interior design companies will sometimes double-label scene four as an economy setting, providing night lights in a hallway for example.


This completes my series on "Understanding How Interior Design Companies Work: Lighting for Mood." I hope these articles have helped you understand how interior design companies in London can tailor lighting effects to suit and enhance our favourite moods.



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Understanding How Interior Design Companies Work: Lighting for Mood – Introducing Pre-Set Scenes

Understanding How Interior Design Companies Work: Lighting for Mood – Introducing Pre-Set Scenes



In this series which I call "Lighting for Mood," I draw on my experience working with some of London's top interior design companies to describe current best practices in this exciting area of design.


The power of light lies in its ability to transform a space, literally at the touch of a button. Most London interior design companies have expertise in exactly this area - and this is one of the many elements that distinguishes interior design from interior decoration. By focusing on what is to be seen, interior design companies can use light to screen out what is unseen, by leaving these areas in darkness. In recent years, the problem that Londoners have come up against is that to control individual effects with dimmers can result in numerous buttons and large unsightly control plates. A decade ago, interior design companies would dread having to create complex lighting designs. Each button had to be operated separately to achieve the desired mood, and proved tedious for clients all over London who simply wanted to re-create favourite combinations without fuss or hassle.


Today, London's top interior design companies are drawing on lessons learned from hotels and restaurants, where it is essential to create an exact mood each night. The solution is to pre-set the lighting, using dimmers that are located remotely. Interior design companies will adjust each type of lighting effect only once before programming it into the system for each setting. The interior design company will present the client with a simple switch plate, with just four buttons to represent four difference moods or scenes. An on/off button is also provided, and in some instances a 'raise and lower' button, which allows the scene to be fine-tuned further. Sometimes London interior design companies will even program in special effects on some of these buttons. For example, one button may add in a down-lighter that is focused on a decorative object or a trendy curtain treatment, perhaps evoking a London nightclub atmosphere. The interior design company will make it easy for the homeowner to orchestrate the desired mood, with a setting for every occasion.


n the next article in this series on "Understanding How Interior Design Companies Work: Lighting for Mood," I will discuss daypart scenes - a new trend in London 's interior design community.



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Understanding How Interior Design Companies Work: Lighting for Mood – Dimmable Designs

Understanding How Interior Design Companies Work: Lighting for Mood – Dimmable Designs



Interior design companies understand the term "mood" to mean a barely-definable, abstract quality that makes us feel "in tune" with our surroundings. In London, lighting is often a critical part of an interior design company's toolbox in creating the perfect mood. In this series which I call "Lighting for Mood," I will draw on my experience working with many interior design companies in London to describe current best practices in this exciting area of design.


The principle way in which interior design companies will control lighting is by dimming the various levels in relation to each other. General lighting, whether in the form of table lamps, up-lights or down-lights, should be controlled separately from feature lighting - especially in older London residences where there is a danger of overloading electrical circuits. By day, relative contrasts are less marked, especially given London's rainy weather patterns. When general lighting is at its maximum strength, interior design companies try to make sure it achieves a fairly even light throughout a room. By night, interior design companies will try to create atmosphere and mood by including a feature to dim general lighting to a low level and raise feature lighting. For maximum effect, interior design companies will make sure the contrast between different light sources is high. Alternatively, some London clients request a soft, inviting light, similar to that produced by candlelight; under these circumstances, the interior design company must ensure that the contrast between feature and general lighting is less marked.


Every interior design company knows that mood and atmosphere are very subjective and impact how we feel. After a hectic day in a brightly lit London office, coming home to a softly lit environment can have a very calming effect, helping us to relax and reducing stress. Alternatively, interior design companies may be asked to create an energetic and dynamic atmosphere - perhaps for a new London nightclub or classy restaurant. This requires lighting that is more dramatic, creating positive areas of brightness and darkness. While light is the key to changing mood, professional interior design companies know that the right levels of contrast are the means to success, achieved by controlling each lighting effect individually.


In the next article in this series on "Understanding How Interior Design Companies Work: Lighting for Mood," I will discuss pre-set scene lighting.



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Understanding How Interior Design Companies Work: Lighting for Mood - Fine-Tuning

Understanding How Interior Design Companies Work: Lighting for Mood - Fine-Tuning



Interior design companies understand the term "mood" to mean a barely-definable, abstract quality that makes us feel "in tune" with our surroundings. In London, lighting is often a critical part of an interior design company's toolbox in creating the perfect mood. In this series which I call "Lighting for Mood," I will draw on my experience working with some of London's top interior design companies to describe current best practices in this exciting area of design.


Mood and atmosphere are the 'special effects' of any lighting scheme, but the subtle levels required can only be determined at the fine-tuning stage. Once the various layers of lighting have been selected, interior design companies focus on creating a balance that can produce visual harmony. This is especially important in London, where outdoor gloom can often make indoor spaces appear flat or dull. The approach used by interior design companies is similar to that involved with layering textures and fabrics when decorating. Uplighting may need to be combined with down-lighting, or table light with spotlight, in just the right proportions. Some interior design companies will employ specialist lighting consultants to advise and guide the process.


The requirements will vary from room to room. For a living room, London interior design companies often recommend table lamps for general lighting and to ensure that guests are seen in a soft and flattering light. These can be combined with low-voltage feature lights to illuminate artwork or favourite antiques. In a kitchen, interior design companies realise that lamps are not practical for general lighting. In newer London residences, hygiene and cleanliness are key selling points, and kitchens require non-porous washable surfaces. As a result, interior design companies will generally prefer to select down-lighters, wall-washing the front of the kitchen units, or up-lighters, which provide a soft indirect light. These light sources can be combined with under-cabinet lighting for task light and - particularly popular in London today - perhaps a pin-spot over a kitchen island for added focus.


Interior design companies will often be asked to redesign bathrooms and bedrooms, since these rooms will often confer the most added value in London's competitive property markets. Bathrooms require flexible lighting that is energizing in the morning and calming at night, with task lights for reading or around a mirror. In a bedroom, where there is less need for overall illumination, interior design companies love to make the bed itself the focus. One technique is to make the bed appear to float on a pool of light by installing rope-lights which can be subtly concealed under the bed platform.


In the next article in this series on "Understanding How Interior Design Companies Work: Lighting for Mood," I will reveal the secrets of dimmable lighting.



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Understanding How Interior Design Companies Work: Lighting for Mood - Introduction

Understanding How Interior Design Companies Work: Lighting for Mood - Introduction



Interior design companies understand the term "mood" to mean a barely-definable, abstract quality that makes us feel "in tune" with our surroundings. In London, many interior design companies will focus on lighting, more than any other element, because it allows the design team to manipulate the way rooms look and feel. London has so many lighting boutiques and showrooms that it is often no problem to find exactly the right light fixture or effect to meet any interior design need. In this series which I call "Lighting for Mood," I will draw on my experience working with many interior design companies in London to describe some best practices in this exciting area of design.


Light is all-important. For example, if an interior design company has a brief to create a room in which guests will feel relaxed, light can achieve this. Alternatively, if the client desires a space that is exciting and stimulating, then light will make it happen. Light reflects the way we choose to live, and professional interior design companies can even use it to change a mood from morning to evening.


Most rooms today have several different functions, and this is especially true in some smaller and more modern London residences, which tend to tighter and more compact. Lighting can enable these types of spaces to meet multiple needs more effectively. For example, an interior design company may be asked to turn a working kitchen, with practical task lighting for cooking, into an intimate super venue. Alternatively, a London client may request that a child-friendly play area be turned into a sophisticated living space by night. Light holds the key to these types of stunning transformations, and professional interior design companies have all sorts of tips and tricks on how to achieve the desired effects.


In the next article in my series on "Understanding How Interior Design Companies Work: Lighting for Mood," I will go into detail on different types of rooms and I'll reveal how London's top designers will fine-tune lighting approaches to achieve stunning results.



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Insights into Interior Design: Designing in Style - Modern/Contemporary

Interior design has always been impacted by fashion trends - both historically and in the modern day. In this article series, "Designing in Style," I explore the meaning of style for interior designers. I draw on my experience working alongside many of London's best-known interior design teams. This fifth and final article in my series moves on from countryside styles to modern/contemporary - a major focus of the London interior design community today.


Modern or contemporary design is all about simplicity. Interior designers tend to focus on fresh, clean lines, together with simple colours and basic shapes like perfect circles and rectangles. But the question I hear again and again from my interior design students in London is, "How to make a contemporary/modern design interesting and unique?" This can be a real challenge - interior designers always want to give their clients something special, but within the constraints of very simple, almost minimalist, design briefs, this can require some serious creativity!


My recommendation to interior design students is always to use extra imagination in the details. In London, wealthy homeowners tend to be very focused on subtle extras. To add interest to a standard modern/contemporary scheme, the interior designer can consider highlights, trims or accents in the colour scheme. Even if one only has a monochrome palette to work with, perhaps a white piece of furniture would look stunning with a beautiful bespoke black throw. Or maybe a hint of pink can be introduced into a grey tone to create a really "interior designer" look for a room? There are all sorts of possibilities, and in London's most prestigious districts today the most important thing for interior designers to keep in mind is that the label of "modern/contemporary" is just a guideline. If the client has a favourite piece of furniture or artwork that doesn’t quite fit the "modern/contemporary" label, use your interior design creativity to figure out ways to incorporate it into a scheme. You really can’t go wrong if your "modern/contemporary" design is unified and classy - and in London many clients are very sophisticated, with an eye for beauty and detail. If their needs are met, the London interior designer has done their job!


Well, that closes out my series on "Insights into Interior Design: Designing in Style." Thank you so much for reading - I hope I have been able to give you some perspective on the many different styles that are and have been popular with London’s interior design community over the decades.



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Insights into Interior Design: Designing in Style - Country Styles

Interior design has always been impacted by fashion trends - both historically and in the modern day. In this article series, "Designing in Style," I explore the meaning of style for interior designers. I draw on my experience working alongside many of London's best-known interior design teams. This fourth article in my series moves on from historic traditional/period styles to the country style - a timeless interior design classic.


The country styles are also sometimes known as the pastoral or rustic styles. The most prominent example is the cottage/farmhouse. Ask most interior designers to imagine being far away from London and they will envision an earthy farmhouse kitchen with rustic tones, wooden enclaves, solid and wholesome meals, and a welcoming brick fireplace. Pastoral styles in interior design contexts are as much practical as they are stylish. The restful comfort and lack of ostentation is appreciated not only by country folk but also by city dwellers. London interior design consultancies often work with clients who have large residences with expansive grounds in need of a rustic feel that harks back to quieter times.


The country interior design style relies on sturdy natural materials such as wood, brick, stone and textured or weathered fabrics. Floorboards are often left exposed to wear down over time, before being stained or varnished and softened with mats or rugged coverings. In general, furniture should be plump and inviting, with natural unvarnished wood frames or homely patterned upholstery. The fireplace is often a centrepiece of this interior design style, and hearths of stone or brick are often used together with copper or brass fireplace accessories. In London mansions that incorporate the country style, walls are often left rough and natural in appearance.


The English country house is a variant of the pastoral interior design style that is very English yet still well-known abroad. Interior designers in London will often be called upon to create designs in this style for the very wealthiest clients. The English country house style relies heavily on patterns. Interior design teams will focus on floral, large-scale motifs, perhaps based on historic designs from the eighteenth century. These patterns will be used not only for window treatments, but also on upholstery, loose covers, bedspreads, table frills, etc. Typical English country house interior design schemes use colours such as pink, white, cream, and highlights in green. Other options include yellow and blue, or muted shades of gold and brown.


In the latter half of the twentieth century, British rustic interior design became increasingly influenced by the so-called "American country" style. Although not often a focus of London interior designers, this style can include Shaker furniture and Amish quilts, together with stripped-pine cupboards, dressers and chests. Folk stencils are important to achieve the correct look.


In my next article for this "Designing in Style" series, I will look at something that is a major feature of London's interior design landscape today, namely the modern/contemporary style.



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Insights into Interior Design: Designing in Style - Traditional Georgian

Interior design has always been impacted by fashion trends - both historically and in the modern day. In this article series, "Designing in Style," I explore the meaning of style for interior designers. I draw on my experience working alongside many of London's best-known interior design teams. This third article in my series continues my discussion of traditional/period design, with a focus on the Georgian style.


In terms of dates, the Georgian period is generally considered to have extended from 1714 until 1830. It has since inspired one of the most popular traditional interior design schemes.


London interior design was considered world-class in Georgian times - UK craftspeople were highly skilled and uniquely specialised. The wealthiest classes insisted on the highest quality, with exacting standards in terms of dimensions and proportions.


A few designers were particularly famous during the Georgian era. Their names, ideas and concepts live on today in the many homes and residences that feature Georgian-inspired interior designs.


William Kent lived from 1684 until 1748 and was an architect/interior designer who is best known for his tables and chairs which featured extravagant gilt decorations and strong connections to Greek and Roman insignia. Today these traditional designs continue to be used by many London interior design consultancies that specialise in the Georgian style.


Thomas Chippendale is a name famous to many discerning Londoners. This cabinet-maker lived from 1718 until 1779 and designed furniture that was less ostentatious than that of William Kent, consistent with British (and London) tastes at the time, and yet exceedingly graceful and refined. Interior designers today will adopt either Chippendale's original designs or re-envisionments/replicas of his originals.


Finally, Robert Adam was an architect and interior designer who dominated the 1770s with his vivacious use of Roman and Greek motifs, including urns, tripods, and mythological iconography.


Today, London interior design consultancies tend to be cautious with Georgian designs, recognising that this style can look pretentious if too pronounced. Larger, more spacious London mansions with tall ceilings are best suited to the Georgian style of interior design.


The next article in my series "Designing in Style" moves away from historic traditions and focuses in on a timeless interior design classic - the rural countryside.



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Insights into Interior Design: Designing in Style - Jacobean and Victorian

Interior design has always been impacted by fashion trends - both historically and in the modern day. In this article series, "Designing in Style," I explore the meaning of style for interior designers. I draw on my experience working alongside many of London's best-known interior design teams. This second article in my series introduces traditional/period design, with a focus on the Jacobean and Victorian styles.


Traditional design uses materials that reflect the wealth and opulence of historic times. London interior designers will often take the best of the features that were available back then and skilfully combine them with elements that are available today. Traditional/period interior design projects tend to focus on elegance, with a look and feel that is comfortable, rich and sumptuous, although sometimes also a little fragile.


The Jacobean theme is popular in London mansions and other residences that have a real sense of history. The Jacobean style focuses on heavy wooden features, with dark-stained oak often used to create panels for walls and floorboards. Oak is also often used for the furniture, and the overall interior design feel is that of robustness, with pleasantly-proportioned pieces to fill the available space. Tapestries are also an important part of the Jacobean look. However, many interior designers recognise that tapestries can be impractical nowadays, and one approach often used by London's best-known consultancies is to recreate the tapestry appearance on modern upholstered furniture or curtains.


One caveat with Jacobean interior designs is that the style does need plenty of natural light. because otherwise the darker wood stains can seem uninspired. This can be problematic in smaller London residences, but is generally not an issue with more luxurious mansions that often feature huge south-facing windows and substantial grounds.


The Victorian interior design style, by contrast, is considered a more staid approach. Interior designers often focus on small rounded tables, often covered entirely in cloth, and fat, heavily-buttoned chesterfield settees. So much of London became urbanised in Victorian times that the style also came to include nature as a theme for textiles, serving as a counterpoint to accelerating industrialisation. Consequently, Victorian interior design schemes often feature floral elements and birds on both walls and furnishings.


In the next article in my "Designing in Style" interior design series, I will focus on a third and final period style that is particularly important for London residences - the Georgian style.



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Insights into Interior Design: Designing in Style - Foundations

Interior design has always been impacted by fashion trends - both historically and in the modern day. In this article series, "Designing in Style," I explore the meaning of style for interior designers. I draw on my experience working alongside many of London's best-known interior design teams. This first article in my series outlines some of the basic concepts.


One of the first things to note is that we change our interiors much less frequently than we change our clothing. As a result, it is important for the professional interior designer to not design too "fashionable" a room for fear that it might seem completely outdated next year. Certainly it is possible to keep up with furniture fashions - many of which can be seen in London's monthly interior design magazines - but the professional interior designer will generally prefer to focus on furniture fashions that can be easily changed. Examples include cushions, table decorations, rugs and bed linens.


London interior design trends can be very changeable. For example, in recent decades London saw a movement back towards the traditional. The Georgian-style Adam fireplace has seen a major revival, as have other old-fashioned features. Mouldings are very much in style today, and interior designers will commonly include them - whether in plaster or in wood.


Interestingly, the return of the dado (even in some of the smaller London residences) has also seen a re-envisioning of the two-tone wall colour scheme. In keeping with tradition, London interior design professionals will often choose a heavier, darker colour below the dado rail and a lighter colour above.


Fabric coordination is very much in vogue. With the increased availability of bespoke fabric centres in and around London, interior designers will often nowadays choose fabrics that are manufactured to match papers, borders, carpets, ceramics and even porcelain.


Finally, style should always be understood in the context of the available interior design space. No two rooms are identical, and every room has both strong points and weak points. The most experienced interior designers will choose styles that can showcase a room's strengths while hiding its weaknesses. Examples of weaknesses in a room might include some structural re-engineering made by a previous owner, or perhaps an awkward architectural design fault that cannot be remedied today.


In the next article in this series on how interior designers "design in style," I will introduce you to two of London's most timeless design styles - Georgian and Victorian.



Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.

Insights into Interior Design: How Designers Select Wall Hangings - Lighting and Mirrors

When interior designers use the term "wall hangings," they are commonly referring to anything and everything that one may hang on a wall. London is a fabulous place to choose wall hangings due to the many active artist communities and the strong tradition of professional interior design. In this third and final article in my series on "How Interior Designers Select Wall Hangings," I will discuss some approaches to lighting and mirror installations that I have seen while working alongside many of London's most successful interior design professionals.


Lighting is an incredibly important part of the art of interior design when it comes to wall hangings. Sometimes it can be absolutely stunning to include a spotlight effect or underlighting to draw the eye towards a particularly fabulous photograph or painted centrepiece. In London, interior designers will normally include lighting elements at the very first stage of their brief. As with so many parts of interior design, nothing is ever an afterthought - the entire design is comprehensive and perfectly envisioned right from the start. For example, professional interior designers will anticipate a need for any wall-hung picture lights and will make sure this is included in the electrical drawings for the electrical contractors to fit a socket at the appropriate height during the early preparation phase of your project. (In most London residences, such sockets heights are non-standard.)


Mirrors can be appropriate for an interior design because they make a room appear larger and can help the resident to better visualise artwork or other wall hangings from many perspectives. This is particularly important for certain smaller London residences which may feature awkward spaces or difficult corners. The professional interior designer will make sure to think hard about appropriate placement of mirrors - whether they are being included for practical or decorative purposes. If a mirror is framed, the interior designer will make sure that the frame is matched or coordinated with other frames or materials in the room.


When using a mirror decoratively, the professional interior designer will always pay attention to make sure that it reflects something of interest. I have seen less experienced interior designers in London occasionally hang a mirror in a place where the reflections can cause annoyance or distraction to someone sitting at a table or on a settee. Fortunately mirrors can be easily re-hung elsewhere, but the most prestigious London interior design consultancies will always take this into account and get it right the first time.



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Insights into Interior Design: How Designers Select Wall Hangings - Installing Pictures

When interior designers use the term "wall hangings," they are commonly referring to anything and everything that one may hang on a wall. London is a fabulous place to choose wall hangings due to the many active artist communities and the strong tradition of professional interior design. In this second article in my series on "How Interior Designers Select Wall Hangings," I will talk in detail about several approaches that I have seen while working alongside many of London's most successful interior design professionals.


As a general guideline, pictures tend to work well when arranged in squares or rectangles. London is a world fashion centre, and jaunty mismatched shapes can be interesting for certain highly customised interior designs, but in most cases it is best to stick with simple 90-degree angles.


Second, symmetry is important. Often when the interior designer has one central picture and several others in a set, they will choose some sort of symmetrical arrangement.


Third, a popular approach in London's interior design community is to use the concept of "horizons" against which to align the upper edges of multiple pictures in a group. If an interior designer has an assortment of differently-sized rectangular frames, they may choose to hang an upper row from one "horizon" and the lower row from a different "horizon."


Fourth, London interior design consultancies often talk of "anchoring." This refers to a technique by which the largest images in a set form the corners of an imaginary rectangle or square, while smaller pictures are used to "fill in" the rest of the available area.


Fifth, to add interest and move away from rectangles, certain interior design professionals love to use the cross technique" when they have rectangular frames of various sizes. This requires arranging pictures in the shape of a cross, with the larger pictures below the horizontal line and smaller frames above to balance their mass.


Sixth, London interior designers often focus on hanging the largest pictures at the bottom of a group, along a single horizontal line. This can give a stable feel to the broader arrangement. I have worked with some top London interior design teams who always choose to place the tallest image in the centre of this horizon to draw the eye upwards and accentuate features of the presentation.


In the next articles in this series, I will talk about best practices in the use of lighting and mirrors to highlight wall hangings of various types.



Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.

Insights into Interior Design: How Designers Select Wall Hangings - Choosing Pictures

When interior designers use the term "wall hangings," they are commonly referring to anything and everything that one may hang on a wall. This can include pictures, photographs, plates, frames, mirrors, sculptures, reliefs and much more besides. London is a fabulous place to choose wall hangings due to the many active artist communities and the strong tradition of professional interior design.


One of the most important elements of wall hangings are pictures. Many interior designers know that pictures are the way to "make a house a home." However, poor positioning of pictures can easily detract from an otherwise well-planned interior design. This is especially important in smaller London homes or flats. Your interior designer will be able to outline the key points that need to be kept in mind regardless of whether you are hanging a recent family photo or an ancient heirloom. In London, interior designers have a saying, namely that "all pictures should relate to something else in the room." This means that wall hangings of this type should never look as though they were included by accident. Pictures should be related via either colour or thematic elements to display tables, armchairs, bookshelves or fireplaces - or indeed to architectural features, such as panelling or mouldings, which can often be quite historic and interesting in London residences.


London interior designers will often elect not to position wall hangings symmetrically (meaning centred on fireplaces or furniture), since this can make the overall interior design seem a little uninspired or "flat."


In London, it is important to remember that the weather is often a little rainy and cool. Therefore interior designers often find it desirable to depict slightly brighter images in their selection of wall hangings. It is also important to group pictures that are related to one another. An interior designer will often place a selection of landscapes close to one another, or they will do the same for seascapes or floral pictures. Another approach often used by some of the most prestigious London interior design consultancies is to group images by colour themes or at the very least by styles of frame or mounting.


In the next article in this interior design series, I will discuss in more detail the practicalities of how to install pictures.



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Notes from a London Interior Designer: Lighting For Special Occasions - Positioning Lights for Waterfalls and Other Features

Interior designers today are highly-qualified multitasking professionals ... it's not just about pretty fabrics and gorgeous furniture any more - design professionals need to understand flooring, structures, plumbing constraints, heating systems, security features, electrical outlets and much more besides. One of the most important parts of an interior designer's job is lighting, and this can one of the most technically challenging and complex elements of the profession. In this four-part collection of articles which I call "Notes from a London Interior Designer," I draw on my substantial experience from working alongside some of London's most celebrated interior designers to reveal the secrets of this fascinating field.


Water and light truly are a perfect match, particularly when the water is dynamic, maybe creating beautiful arcs in the air thanks to a powerspout, or cascading down an attractive rockery. One technique that many interior designers love when illuminating waterjets involves placing underwater narrow-beam fixtures at the location of each spout. The effect is to uplight the arc of water, causing it to shimmer and glisten fabulously. One can either specify an LED lighting system, or one can use a technique pioneered by some of London's top interior designers, namely to install miniature fibre optic light sources in the water jet fixture itself. If you use a bubblejet system, the water outlet will be much deeper and therefore the lighting will make it appear almost as if millions of tiny candles are floating on the surface of the water. If a higher jet is needed for a fountain or cascade, London's Best Interior Designers will choose to install the illuminator next to the jet rather than inside the water fixture itself. The result will be that the light illuminates the entire length of the water spray.


If your interior designer recommends low-voltage illuminators, there will always be a need to situate the transformer in a conveniently hidden place - perhaps next to the water recirculation motor or buried underground. If your interior designer specifies fibre optics, the illuminator electronics must always be positioned as near to the fibres as possible.


his brings to an end my series of articles called "Notes from a London Interior Designer: Lighting for Special Occasions." Thank you for reading!



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Notes from a London Interior Designer: Lighting For Special Occasions - Illuminating Water Features at Night

Interior designers today are highly-qualified multitasking professionals ... it's not just about pretty fabrics and gorgeous furniture any more - design professionals need to understand flooring, structures, plumbing constraints, heating systems, security features, electrical outlets and much more besides. One of the most important parts of an interior designer's job is lighting, and this can one of the most technically challenging and complex elements of the profession. In this four-part collection of articles which I call "Notes from a London Interior Designer," I draw on my substantial experience from working alongside some of London's most celebrated interior designers to reveal the secrets of this fascinating field.


Water brings texture, sound and magic to an exterior space - even the most plain dripping garden tap has certain design aesthetics - but interior designers know that only light can truly bring water into its own. London's top designers will use a variety of vessels or modern contraptions to contain and channel water, many with links to history. For example, the Upper Lodge Water Gardens of Bushy Park, near Hampton Court and not far from Central London, were originally commissioned in 1710. The Earl of Halifax was no interior designer, but he did appreciate fabulous pools, cascades, basins and canals - all of which were featured prominently in the Water Gardens. Of course, some of us live in rather more modest London dwellings today, but even if you only have a small garden, an interior designer can help you create beautiful tumbling chutes or conduits, textured to glint in the morning sunshine and to beautifully project the noise of moving water.


Gardens like those of Bushy Park are perfect sources of inspiration for interior designers. Novel structures and accessories let us move and channel water in so many different ways, whether in formal shapes or as random, flowing chaotic forms. Top interior designers may recommend structures that cause water to race across pebbles or stones, shimmering with texture in the sunshine. Some London Interior Designers specialise in introducing water into urban garden spaces, where its reflective, expressive quality can refreshingly balance the overwhelming closed hems of tall concrete or vertical brick surrounds. The delightful sound of tinkling water can also quickly dampen out the sounds of cars and lorries in your neighbourhood.


In the next and final article in this collection which I call "Notes from a London Interior Designer," I will get a little technical and explain how light fittings can illuminate water.



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Notes from a London Interior Designer: Lighting For Special Occasions - Mystery and Theatre

Interior designers today are highly-qualified multitasking professionals ... it's not just about pretty fabrics and gorgeous furniture any more - design professionals need to understand flooring, structures, plumbing constraints, heating systems, security features, electrical outlets and much more besides. One of the most important parts of an interior designer's job is lighting, and this can one of the most technically challenging and complex elements of the profession. In this four-part collection of articles which I call "Notes from a London Interior Designer," I draw on my substantial experience from working alongside some of London's most celebrated interior designers to reveal the secrets of this fascinating field.


If you are outside London and have a beautiful mansion with expansive grounds, floodlighting may be a perfect solution for magnificent drama. This can also be a perfect choice for castles or temples and other places of worship. Interior designers will often select mercury-based illuminators, which cast a powerful bluish light into the air. This can be perfect on conifers and it creates a fabulous contrast when used alongside filament-based yellow bulbs. Many of London's best-known interior designers like to recess floodlights down into the earth or tuck them away in a group of bushes in order to reduce glare and make the garden environment more welcoming. These powerful illuminators are often recommended for extremely leafy areas of your garden or for the furthest corners of more expansive grounds.


Candles are magical because of the way the light moves with the wind. Interior designers can install burning garden flambeaus alongside a path in order to draw the eye along an arc. Occasionally, London gardens will have standing water features; I have seen interior designers create concepts that require candle nightlights to float glistening on the water during luxurious soirees. Windproof glass vessels protect the candles and make sure they won't be extinguished if the breeze picks up.


I would be remiss as an interior designer if I did not mention a few safety issues here. Most London Interior Designers are fully qualified in all the latest lighting design codes, but please do remember that open flames should never be left unattended and it is critical to make sure candles do not come into contact with leaves, branches or flowers.


In the next article in this collection which I call "Notes from a London Interior Designer," I will talk about how to bring water features to life using light.



Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.

Notes from a London Interior Designer: Lighting For Special Occasions - Setting The Scene

Interior designers today are highly-qualified multitasking professionals ... it's not just about pretty fabrics and gorgeous furniture any more - design professionals need to understand flooring, structures, plumbing constraints, heating systems, security features, electrical outlets and much more besides. One of the most important parts of an interior designer's job is lighting, and this can one of the most technically challenging and complex elements of the profession. In this four-part collection of articles which I call "Notes from a London Interior Designer," I draw on my substantial experience from working alongside some of London's most celebrated interior designers to reveal the secrets of this fascinating field.


For special events, any exterior space - from the smallest veranda to expansive country gardens - can be refreshed and made delightful with a touch of lighting and a stroke of inspiration, thanks to the work of interior designers! Lighting can create a stunning environment for luxuriant large-scale entertainment or an intimate get-together involving a group of girlfriends. Imagine celebrating St. Valentine's Day with a gorgeous picture-perfect outdoor dinner, or re-envisioning a magnificent ice-encrusted wintry pond for New Year's Eve. Interior designers use the term "accent lighting" to reference the transformation of interesting structures or environments into compelling and arresting spectacles of light. Powerful full-environment lighting will create a mood of drama and intensity. Gorgeous coloured illuminators will bring real depth and texture to an outdoor space. And interior designers can use candles to create a stylish, intimate feel. London's top lighting design professionals will rely on water illuminated at night to create perhaps some of the most creative and compelling high-end lighting extravaganzas. With the help of an interior designer, your dream for special occasion lighting can be fully realised.


Focus lighting is often perfect to build a feeling of mysterious magic and dramatic intrigue for special occasions. Interior Designers in London sometimes recommend focus lighting on special historic features, such as vases or plinths, or even on hedgerows and shrubberies. A planter or garden gnome can be stunning, especially with an interposition of light-coloured brightness against more mysterious shaded shrubbery. Some of London's top interior designers will use a tiny shrouded halogen illuminator immediately before a feature to guarantee uniform lighting. A spike-mounted splashlight will serve the same purpose, especially if hidden by flowers or leaves.


In the next article in this collection which I call "Notes from a London Interior Designer," I will talk about how to create mystery in a nighttime garden.



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Interior Design in London Goes Exterior! - Conservatory to Garden

The work of interior designers professionals doesn't stop at the back door - increasingly, interior design teams are expanding to offer specific garden design expertise. In this four-part collection of articles called "Interior Design Goes Exterior," I rely on my years of know-how gleaned from collaborating with London's finest interior design teams to explore the latest in garden design. This final article in the series discusses how to maximise the lighting impact in a London conservatory.


When your interior design consultancy illuminates the garden, your conservatory will suddenly become a much more welcoming place to sit and read the London evening paper or play board games after dark. Your gaze will be tugged through the window to the much brighter picturescape outside, and the formerly-black glass will suddenly lose its reflective sheen. The lighting within the conservatory should be a little more dimmed-down, in order to make the outdoor garden illumination seem that much stronger. And with London's ever-rising electricity prices, this might just save you some money as well! If your conservatory roof is fully glazed (and most are, in London), your interior design team may recommend a tightened-wire system - this tends to be better than conventional track-based feature lighting, because the tight-wire rail is almost invisible during the daytime. Within the conservatory, wall-washers and table uplighters can be used for local illumination. And when appropriately harmonised, lighting can be used by your interior design consultancy to much greater effect than simply blocking everything off with blinds or windowshades.


By night, London's outdoor spaces can showcase an entirely new feel when lit up to provide glisten and shimmer. Interior design professionals rely on the same basic guidelines as for inside your home, in order to build atmosphere and generate drama. By illuminating favourite garden features, Interior Designers in London can create a perfect mood for dining out on the patio, harmoniously complemented by muted general illumination that will guarantee that your garden is a beautiful place to luxuriate both during the daytime and after dusk. With today's fabulous lighting technologies, your interior design consultancy can be more flexible and more creative than ever to answer all your garden lighting dreams.


Well, that brings to an end this collection of articles called "Interior Design Goes Exterior!" Thank you so much for reading!



Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.

Interior Design in London Goes Exterior! - Specialist Garden Lighting

The work of interior designers professionals doesn't stop at the back door - increasingly, interior design teams are expanding to offer specific garden design expertise. In this four-part collection of articles, "Interior Design Goes Exterior," I rely on my years of know-how gleaned from collaborating with London's finest interior design teams to explore the latest in garden design. This article discusses where and how to implement general, task and feature lighting - whether for a compact central London urban garden or for the luxurious and expansive grounds of a grand mansion outside London.


Your interior design consultancy should allow exterior lighting to be controlled using a simple switch. Often the system will be attached to a daylight detector to deactivate everything during daytime hours. Your interior design team will also specify a timer to make certain that the lights go out at, say, 2am (neighbours in some London boroughs can be sensitive about light pollution). If your interior design consultancy implements a more theatrical and expansive illumination scheme, they might alternatively specify a dimmer system to allow for fine-tuning.


Most London Interior Design consultancies will first need to decide which approaches to select for general, task and feature lighting, before specifying products that match the look and feel of the garden. Your interior designer will select a suitable mounting location and will determine whether or not you need extra electrical outlets on the patio (they may also need to consult with your London borough's local electricity supplier). Remember that a garden is seen from inside the house, as well as from outside - both from your own garden and from the properties of your London neighbours! If your residence features a conservatory (or actually any garden-facing feature windows), your interior design consultancy should notify you of the importance of properly illuminating the garden right from the outset.


After dusk, windows generally look very black and will function almost as mirrors, creating bright reflections and sometimes giving residents the feeling of being slightly overexposed. In the next article in this collection which I call "Interior Design Goes Exterior," I will focus on exactly this issue to reveal how top London interior designers create lighting schemes that bridge both inside and outside via a conservatory.



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Interior Design in London Goes Exterior! - Sketching out a Garden Scheme

The work of interior designers professionals doesn't stop at the back door - increasingly, interior design teams are expanding to include specific garden design expertise. In this four-part collection of articles, "Interior Design Goes Exterior," I rely on my years of know-how gleaned from collaborating with London's finest interior design teams to explore the latest in garden design. This article discusses how to sketch out a suitable theme regardless of size - whether a compact central London urban garden or the luxurious and expansive grounds of a grand mansion outside London.


Interior design teams will often start by making a sketch to conceptualise the lighting design for a garden. In drawing rooms and reception areas, London interior designers will often choose a favourite painting as a focal feature. Similarly, for garden design it is essential to decide which are the most visually interesting plants, shrubs or flowers in order to create a ranking system for emphasis differentiation. Elements that need extra priority will have to be specifically illuminated - associated lights should all be placed on a single illumination control frame. If the interior design team recommends a soft wash on intermediate bushes and shrubbery, this illumination can be attached to a separate throw-switch. Alternatively, some London interior design professionals will encourage clients to include structural focal points on a separate circuit to the one used for winter, when flowers are no longer in bloom. In the winter, a planter, vase or perhaps an evergreen can be illuminated to increase the level of interest. In the London winter, bare branches and shrubs should be allowed to reside in the shadows. But above all, your interior design team will focus on creating a harmonious balance that is luxurious whatever the season.


Your interior design team will allow the feel of your London garden to be fine-tuned to suit your emotions by building or subduing the illumination levels. In the late afternoon the lighting scheme will be less apparent but after dusk the results will become amazing - perfect for the London summertime. Interior design professionals who are experienced with garden design understand that this natural process basically allows the intensity of daylight to shift a garden's mood almost effortlessly.


When your interior design team plans carefully and places the lighting systems on separate circuits, the ambience of the garden can be controlled across a range of moods. We can move from a minimalist, gentle well of light immediately outside the house - serving to soften the sensation of ominous blackness outside - to a theatrical lighting display that illuminates the entire garden during an extravagant London soiree.


In the next article in this collection which I call "Interior Design Goes Exterior," I will describe how London Interior Designers approach general, task and feature lighting in gardens.



Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.

Interior Design in London Goes Exterior! - Installing Garden Lights

The work of interior designers professionals doesn't stop at the back door - increasingly, interior design teams are expanding to include specific garden design expertise. In this four-part collection of articles, "Interior Design Goes Exterior," I rely on my years of know-how gleaned from collaborating with London's finest interior design teams to explore the latest in garden design. This article discusses the practicalities of installing light fixtures in a garden.


Installing exterior lighting is often more expensive than installing interior illumination. If your interior design team is completely redesigning your garden, then it is best to install lights at the earliest possible time, as some earth-moving may be necessary. A cable that carries electricity to the illuminators should be protected or housed within a special waterproof channel - let's avoid London's rainy weather ruining our electrics! All cables must be at a sufficient depth to make sure there is no risk of them being dug up during regular gardening work. Interior designers will recommend sealed connectors, with additional fuses or circuit breakers to guard against electrocution if there is a flooded channel. All wiring should be performed by a qualified technician - call the electricity provider for your local London borough for more information.


If your garden is already well-grown, your interior design team may recommend installing cabling in the autumn or spring. This minimises damage to greenery and other wildlife. Many London Interior Design teams prefer to attach trunking boxes and transformers to perimeter fencing close to the ground, where they can be readily concealed by shrubs or bushes. Low-voltage illuminator terminals can be distant from the transformers - just use a set of long cables for this to work. If your interior design team follows this approach, contractors will often be able to "work around" the existing vegetation without wrecking your favourite flowers, shrubs or bushes. This can be really important even for smaller urban-style gardens in central London. Occasionally London contractors can be a little heavy-footed, and the last thing you want is a year-long garden growback period after your interior design team has long since departed. Your interior designer will want your garden to look as fabulous as your residence itself on presentation day!


In the next article in this collection which I call "Interior Design Goes Exterior," I will talk about how to sketch out a garden lighting scheme.



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Interior Design London - Bathroom Design Explained - Designing for Retirees and the Infirm

Professional bathroom designers are expert at combining purpose and aesthetics to craft astonishing designs. In this four-part collection of articles, "Bathroom Design Explained," I rely on my know-how gleaned from collaborating with London's Finest Bathroom Designers to explore this dynamic profession. This article discusses design for retirees.


Are the years finally starting to take a toll? Are you encountering difficulties in getting around your home? I have worked extensively with seniors and with the disabled in London, and it is always so rewarding for me to be able to transform homeowners' familiar spaces into wheelchair-accessible dream bathroom designs. I love to eliminate clutter, refresh the layout and install stairlifts. Every time, I am so excited to see the looks of amazement on the residents' faces when they meet their new bathroom designs. And even if your budget isn't big, the payoff absolutely will be when you re-design your London bathroom from drab to fab - the wheelchair way! A splendid, accessible new bathroom design can be essential to creating a contemporary, disability-safe home environment that Social Services will instantly approve.


Even a worldly, hip, student-filled city like London has plenty of residents who are retirees or who suffer from limited mobility. England's population is growing older all the time, and as a consequence bathroom designers are seeing many requests to envision fabulous bathrooms for older or less mobile individuals. The ideal solution will be 100% compatible with Social Services' accessibility guidelines while also guaranteeing a dash of stylish extravagance. Many older residents love to luxuriate soon after getting up by taking advantage of a peaceful bath hour, enjoying a fragrance-filled pot of tea, and watching the morning television chat shows at their leisure. Accordingly, the perfect bathroom design for an elderly couple or widow may feature glittering porcelain toilets, smooth and well-lit surfaces to use when applying beauty treatments, and easy-open cupboards that can hold a kettle, coffee maker and home audiovisual equipment equipped with an induction loop for the hard of hearing.


Retirees complain of arthritic joints and painful tendons all too often. Bathroom designers may recommend high-end baths that incorporate massage whirlpools, together with height-limited bathtubs that promote ease of entry. In more spacious London houses, we may recommend a deck adjacent to the bath. This great solution allows a retiree to sit down before slowly levering themselves into the bubbly warm water.


Individuals who are constrained to wheelchair-only mobility will often benefit from the addition of a sizeable roll-in showering area. Bathroom designers will recommend an easy-grip detachable shower head in addition to a wall-mounted in-shower bench. This combination guarantees a luxurious morning wash that can normally be performed unaided - rivalling the most extravagant London spas and salons.


Well, that brings to an end this collection of articles on "Bathroom Design Explained." Thank you so much for reading!



Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.

Interior Design London - Bathroom Design Explained - Kid-Approved Design

Professional bathroom designers are expert at combining purpose and aesthetics to craft astonishing designs. In this four-part collection of articles, "Bathroom Design Explained," I rely on my know-how gleaned from collaborating with London's finest bathroom designers to explore this dynamic profession. This article explores how to design for households with children.


Being a tiny child is quite a unique experience! Do you recall how it felt? It can be seriously difficult to create bathroom designs that are 100% kid-approved. But with London's constantly increasing population, my clients are now requesting kid-approved design alternatives more than ever. The first question that I always ask myself is: how to envision a bathroom design that can grow as the kids get older? I'm sure you can appreciate how a design that is perfect for a 6-year-old at a London pre-prep may well seem inappropriate when the child turns 8 and enters prep school.


Children from every culture and on every continent are fascinated by the world of colours. However, London's finest bathroom designers realise that sometimes we have to put the brakes on! One fabulous approach is to preserve a neutral envelope by selecting ecru, snowflake or ivory for the walls and floortiles. Hints of colour should be included by choosing appropriate bathmats, taps and stylish extras. Certain well-known London Bathroom Designers will routinely choose cucumber, daffodil or ultramarine for a child's washtub ... critically, these hues are not as overwhelming as (say) raspberry or ebony.


In terms of kid-approved bathroom design specifics, smaller children must always have enough room to explore and move. This is non-trivial in the case of some of the more space-constrained London flats. I have seen some designers incorporate a step-up/step-down pedestal support that allows younger children to reach the lavatory. Importantly, this can easily be pushed out of the way when its use is no longer required. "Electronic eye" tap systems minimise the extent to which little arms have to reach forward for handwashing, and bathroom design experts can even lock the temperature control in advance to make sure kids will never get scalded.


Last but by no means least, one fabulous approach involves giving the bathroom design a sense of character by gathering the resident kids' paintings or crayon sketches and tacking them onto cupboards or mouldings. I have personally visited London residences where the kids have themselves coloured one tile in the bottom corner of the shower cubicle as a fun project. Alternatively, the bathroom designer can give them permission to add glitter and varnish to a mirror frame. This definitely makes the kids feel like the bathroom is all their own ... and who knows, it may inspire some to become bathroom designers themselves in the future!


The next and final article in this collection called "Bathroom Design Explained" turns to specialist designs for retirees and for people of limited movement and dexterity.



Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.

Interior Design London - Bathroom Design Explained - Hues

Professional bathroom designers are expert at combining purpose and aesthetics to craft astonishing designs. In this four-part collection of articles, "Bathroom Design Explained," I rely on my know-how gleaned from collaborating with London's finest bathroom designers to explore this dynamic profession. This second article dives into the use of hue and tint in bathroom design.


When thinking up fresh hue and tint combinations, most London Bathroom Design professionals begin by reaching for their colour wheel. This can be critical in selecting melodic integrations of different colours - the wheel is an important tool, whether the concept is hushed and calm or theatrical and engaging. For instance, certain more spacious London bathrooms are well-suited to an el evated-contrast complimentary scheme. This approach incorporates two hues from opposite parts of the wheel, perhaps drawing on a lemon background together with a midnight accent for a real wow factor. By contrast, cramped London cloakrooms may simply not be suitable for this bathroom design approach because the results may be too overpowering for the residents. Given this fact, a monochromatic scheme that utilises a single tint but with multiple different hues to add charm could be just the ticket. Think of the exact same bathroom design I mentioned above, but let's substitute robin's egg blue instead of the lemon ... keep identical layout and accessories, but the mood will feel totally different. Such a scheme could be ideal for an East London banker's apartment or a basement bachelor pad in Central London.


Well-heeled Londoners will sometimes feel a real yearning for the spa/retreat combo that has become such a hit in recent years. Bathroom designers can recreate this feel by relying on fresh, calming hues, perhaps with a focus on aquamarine and jade. Consider matching these up with the ivory-and-nickel taps and trims that are often a feature in high-end London spas and beauty parlours.


Since at least the 1500s, London's upper class ladies have relied on cosmetics to accentuate their finest features while rendering invisible even the most miniscule blemishes. In the same way, tints and hues can elevate a bathroom design to stratospheric heights - maybe by highlighting historic wall mouldings, unique dado rails, or other structures.


Back in the day, bathroom design lecturers at London's top schools used to tell their students that washing a small bathroom with a dark tint is undesirable because it can create a claustrophobic mood. By contrast, today's best bathroom designers have learnt otherwise. By incorporating a multitude of shades of a deep colour, designers can actually make a smaller bathroom feel much larger. By including interesting textures and patterns within paint or on wallpaper, we can create extra dimensions and add bathroom designer style.


In the next article in this collection "Bathroom Design Explained," I'll discuss what to do when you have a child in the house! Up next: kid-approved design.



Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.

Interior Design London - Bathroom Design Explained - Creativity

Professional bathroom designers are expert at combining purpose and aesthetics to craft astonishing designs. In this four-part collection of articles, "Bathroom Design Explained," I rely on my years of know-how gleaned from collaborating with London's finest bathroom designers to explore this dynamic profession. This article discusses how to envision magical and fresh new creations.


Decades ago, bathrooms were not flash and fancy. Often the most fabulous part of a London bathroom was a good read, some rudimentary illumination and a washbasin full of bubbly warm water. Then professional bathroom designers arrived, and that scenario was swiftly transformed. Now in 2010, with Londoners finding themselves so busy and increasingly overwhelmed, the bathroom has started to transform into a retreat space. Homeowners are engaging bathroom designers because they crave singular, luxury specials that bring a hint of extravagance to the mundane.


The professional bathroom designer begins with heaps of creativity. Modern designs are different from anything seen before - in London, the beauty bathroom, the hideaway/sanctuary bathroom, and the home entertainment bathroom (replete with LCD TVs and whole-room speaker systems!) are just a few of the most sought-after designs. Every one demands its own bathroom design accessories, from spa-style hot tubs to in-tile thermals to slide-out heated storage for washcloths and linens. Even the washbasins and toilets have become surprisingly creative and elegant. Imagine bathroom designs that feature silent-flush toilets, touch-sensitive bath jet controls and theatrical mood lighting. Imagine as well resort-themed bathroom designs. Some quarters of the interior design field are seeking to completely abandon ordinary factory-built cabinets and standard towel rails. London Bathroom Design today is starting to focus on contemporary vessel washbasins and textile-ensconced seating options. Resort-type coffee makers and minibar-style refrigerators are being requested by clients for installation literally within bathroom walls or cupboards!


Modern entertainment engineering plays a role in many of London's high-end designer bathrooms. Entertainment concepts that incorporate slimline televisions and multidirectional speaker systems are now seen as the norm. Certain bathroom designers will inconspicuously sneak a Blu-Ray system and high-def TV into cabinetry above the towel rail. Splendid for busy London professionals who crave the latest updates on oil trading prices from Sky News as you start your day!


In the next article in this collection which I call "Bathroom Design Explained," I will talk about the importance of tints and hues in the London bathroom design landscape.



Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.

The Outdoor Room: How Interior Design Companies Illuminate Gardens - Part IV

Some prestigious London Interior Design companies refer to urban garden concepts as "outdoor rooms.” If you are considering employing an interior design company to renovate both your indoor and your outdoor spaces, this four-part series of articles will help you understand how lighting can be used to create a sense of garden drama. I draw on my experience working with some of London's best interior design companies to reveal the secrets of this fascinating speciality design area.


In my previous article, I discussed how to illuminate soft elements. With this article, I will talk about how interior design companies light up structural features in gardens. Often a small spiked spotlight, masked by ground-level shrubbery, will be recommended by your interior design company because this solution will output the perfect amount of light. If a replica of an historic London statue or garden flowerpot is centred within a grassy zone, a 100% recessed adjustable uplighter may constitute a subtle, trouble-free solution while ensuring that the lawn can still be safely mown. For fabulous results, your London interior design company may choose to uplight a trellis, not only illuminating any plants or flowers that may grow up the wooden struts, but also drawing the eye towards the structure. Flowerpots and vessels are perfect to hide the source of the illumination. Your interior design company may recommend alternating narrow and wide bulbs for versatility and interest. Neon illuminators are best when the scheme requires the introduction of a new colour. The soft upward glow can help define vessels, statues and other structures. Your interior design company may position a neon lighting system below a frosted glass panel, with a standard planter (available from any London garden furnishings store) immediately above. The result will be that the coloured light emphasises the shape of the planter, instead of the flowers, shrubs or plants inside. Alternatively, your interior design company may recommend white light for a softer, less dramatic result.


With the help of a London interior design company, and with detailed planning, your inspirational ideas for your garden can become a reality! Your long-term vision for the garden is critical, and your interior design company will provide guidance so that you can look beyond the present: bushes will grow, and views will transform from season to season and from year to year. Top London interior design companies prefer to use low-voltage fittings, attached to a spike and forced into the earth, because these can be moved as planting schemes change over time.


Thank you for reading this article series on how London's best interior design companies illuminate "outdoor rooms."



Interior Design London - Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.